Stories from the Hold
by Silver-Eyed-Rukia
Summary: A compilation of small One-Shots based on the everyday lives of our favourite Skyhold residents. Story II: A drinking contest in the tavern of Skyhold ends with an unexpected winner. And a wish. Adaar (female Qunari Inquisitor) x Sera.
1. Story I - Love is unconditional

**Stories from the Hold  
><strong>

**Story I - Love is unconditional**

by

_Silver-Eyed Rukia_

**Rated:** T

**Summary:** A compilation of small One-Shots based on the everyday lives of our favourite Skyhold residents.

**This One-Shot:** Sera asks the Inquisitor about why they are together and gets an unexpected reaction.

**Pairing:** Adaar x Sera

**Note:** This isn't beta-ed, so please ignore any mistakes. Or point them out and correct me, whatever you prefer.

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><p>"Do you like women?"<p>

Adaar placed her index finger between the pages of the book she was currently reading and lowered it, raising an eyebrow at the random question directed at her.

"Well, yes. I have nothing against women by any means."

Sera, who had been staring at the ceiling ever since her lover had left the bed, now turned her gaze towards said woman and rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean like _like_ them. You know, woof. Rawr, women, yeah?"

The warrior sat up from her lying position on the couch and scratched the back of her head, wondering if she had missed something to cause this conversation as she placed the book onto a nearby table.

"I am with you, am I not?"

"Well, yeah that's true, but you never actually said that you like females. I mean, with the way you keep me up all night at times I don't doubt it but- I don't know! Just answer the question."

Sera had also sat up from the bed, naked as she had been created with only a blanket to cover at least the lower half of her thin body. The redhead walked over to her and sat down on the edge of the bed, ruffling through her love's blonde locks to draw out that little pout she always enjoyed seeing so much before answering again.

"Love is unconditional, Sera. You can't control whether you fall in love with a man or a woman, or a dwarf or an elf. I'd love you just as much if you were half your current size. Well, in height at least."

The rogue burst out laughing at the image and fell flat on her back, causing the sheets to slide down her legs even further.

"Could you imagine that? A dwarf and a Qunari? Oh shit that'd be like living between tits cause dwarfs are short and...and...tits. I bet hugs would feel amazing though."

"I don't know, Scout Harding _is_ quite charming."

"Hey!"

Adaar laughed quietly as she grabbed the blanket and pulled it back over Sera's waist. "As lovely a sight as you are, it's quite distracting when I am supposed to answer questions. And I'm joking, alright? A little friendly flirting hasn't hurt anyone so far."

"Damn right it better be a joke. Scout or not I'd spick her with arrows faster than you can say pissballs."

A moment of silence passed and the Inquisitor's face turned serious.

"Why did you ask me that?"

Greyish-blue eyes were fixed upon a lose thread on the blanket and her fingers started picking at it as she tried to think of a way how to explain herself.

"I just...sometimes wonder what you see in me, okay? I'm like this poor elf from a shitty alienage that can't do anything but steal and piss off people and you're the Herald of Andraste! You're the biggest hat there is next to the Empress and the king of Ferelden and all that, how can I even start to compare? Am I even good enou-", she started but was interrupted by a short yet intense kiss as Adaar wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.

"You think I am with you because you are female? Do I seem that shallow to you? Because I could be with plenty others here in Skyhold with as many females as we have running around."

"No! No...it sounds stupid when you say it out loud. I love you for everything you are, teetness. And that body of yours, it's such a shame there aren't more female Qunari walking around like you."

"Vashoth, dear."

"I could start calling you oxman."

"I guess I can live with being called Qunari."

The blonde elf smirked at her small victory. "Thought so."

The horned woman shook her head in amusement and picked her lover up in her arms, wrapping the blanket fully around the rogue in the motion. She then walked over to the open balcony door, stepped outside and took a deep breath before yelling a single phrase out into the open.

"I love Sera!"

Various heads turned and even though the Inquisitor had sometimes cursed the fact that her chambers were so high up she now was glad they were because it made it easier to go back inside without being seen too much. When she returned her attention to the small elf in her arms she was amused to see that, for once, the archer had been rendered somewhat speechless. It didn't take her long to get her lose tongue back though and when she did she playfully slapped the Qunari across the shoulder and wrapped her arms around her neck, kissing her passionately.

"You're a loony. My loony."

"I hope that answered your question. And even Inquisitors have to let themselves go sometimes, you know?"

Sera smirked and motioned for the taller woman to carry her back to bed.

"Hm well, I can help with _that_."

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><p><strong>Phrase of the Day<strong>

_And I believe we both decide to take a stand or run and hide and if you disagree them I'm the fool_

"Oh my love" by Rea Garvey_  
><em>

**If you liked it, please** **REVIEW**.

No flaming please.


	2. Story II - I'm gonna break both

**Stories from the Hold  
><strong>

**Story II - I'm gonna break both  
><strong>

by

_Silver-Eyed Rukia_

**Rated:** T

**Summary:** A compilation of small One-Shots based on the everyday lives of our favourite Skyhold residents.

**This One-Shot:** A drinking contest in the tavern of Skyhold ends with an unexpected winner. And a wish.

**Pairing:** Adaar x Sera

**Note:** This isn't beta-ed, so please ignore any mistakes. Or point them out and correct me, whatever you prefer.

* * *

><p>The tavern was as busy as usual: off-duty soldiers were enjoying their alcoholic beverages, the castle residents were busily sharing stories and gossip and the barkeeper had his hands full with trying to keep everyone supplied with drinks and food. The Inquisitor passing through was a rather ordinary sight, seeing that she often visited the archer or the Iron Bull or just used the shorter way to contact Cole, but having her sit with her fellow soldiers and downing pints with them was a sight to behold. Especially because she easily outmatched most of them in terms of holding her liquor.<p>

"Damn boss, if I had known that you could drink these freckled pimple-babies under the table so quickly I'd have invited you to drink with us _much_ sooner!", the Iron Bull laughed and patted, or in his case, punched his flat hand against the Qunari's shoulder, nearly sending her pint flying in the motion. She eyed him with scarcely restrained amusement and just shrugged, finishing her fifth mug for the night.

"Chief, s'is a Qunari thing? The liquor n' shit I mean..." Krem's drunken mumbles were barely audible in the commotion and Adaar was honestly surprised that the young man had managed to hold out for so long. They didn't exactly finish their drinks slowly but rather just slammed their heads into their necks and downed the liquid like there was no tomorrow. Or at least no tomorrow without a major hangover. Bull just continued laughing, evidence of the alcohol also visible in his speech but not as bad as for the rest of the Chargers.

"Why do you think they keep 'em so rare, hm? Our females I mean. All the other races would get jealous of us if we didn't- Sera!" The large man rose from his seat, successfully knocking a sleeping Grim off his armrest, and welcomed the blonde woman who had just appeared in his field of view. The elf eyed him for a moment before her sharp eyes landed on Adaar and she smirked, noticing the faint blush on the warrior's face. She stopped on the third step and grinned down at the pair.

"Drinking, yeah? Was already wondering what all the fuss was about and now I see it with my own two eyes: the Herald of Andraste drowning herself tits-deep in booze. How come no one came to get me? Would have loved to see this shit unfold."

The mercenary captain grabbed a pint from the table next to him and handed it to the archer as she descended from the stairs, patting a seat close-by for her to sit on.

"It's not too late to behold the sight just yet. I must admit though, you may not stay awake long enough to see _her_ pass out. Fair warning, now sit and let's continue!"

Sera passed him by, ignoring the offered seat and instead placed herself in the Vashoth's lap, wrapping her free arm around the horned woman's neck while grinning at her.

"Already got the best seat in the house, so suck it."

Adaar laughed, a loud and cheerful sound fueled by alcohol and just kissed her love's cheek, enjoying the familiar weight on her thighs. "Well, I better make it worth your while then."

"Get a room before I have to get someone to clean up another mess of yours", the Tal-Vashoth jokingly said as he watched the pair, obviously referring to the cookies and roof incident a few weeks back. "I mean hey, go ahead. I don't mind watching."

"My roof, my rules. In that sense: my tavern, my rules."

"Kiss it, Bull", the elf added before taking a big sip out of her mug, enjoying the burn the cheap swill left in her throat. "Bet I can make you swallow that big talk of yours."

The Inquisitor leaned forward to whisper something into the rogue's ear but she got distracted by Sera's profile: the way her lips slightly parted when she was distracted by something, how she wet them as they dried out from the hot tavern air...

"Thedas to Inquisitor, is our mighty Herald still there or with her thoughts already in bed?"

The elf's satisfied smirk greeted her as Adaar snapped back into the here and now and she blushed, silently blaming the alcohol for her behaviour and she just cleared her throat, ignoring Bull's knowing grin.

"Are you sure that you want to challenge him to a drinking contest? We already knocked out his entire company", she said as she pointed towards the sleeping dogpile of Chargers, "and we're still good to go."

A bottle was slammed down on the table close to them and their heads turned as the barkeeper gave them a short nod before retreating again and the Qunari grabbed it, refilling everyone's pint before announcing a little game.

"Let's make this a bet then. Whoever is left standing after this bottle is gone gets...hm." He thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "That's right! Winner gets a wish from the boss!"

"Deal!"

The Vashoth freed herself from her mug and shifted to stare at Bull in a mix of confusion and shock. "Do I have no say in this whatsoever?" Sera's lips pressed themselves against her own, successfully shutting her up before she could say anything else.

"No, no say. Now hush and do your "looking hot in every situation" thing while I earn myself a wish from you."

Adaar raised both her hands in surrender, balancing the light-weighted elf on her thighs as the pair started off with a toast and a big chug of ale.

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><p>Most of the people had already left the tavern by the time the contest was over, leaving the establishment in much quieter company. The barkeeper was cleaning up before closing shop, extinguishing the candles on the various tables as he tried his best not grin at the sight before him.<p>

The floor around Bull's usual sitting spot was covered in Chargers and the man himself, all dead drunk and dead asleep from way too much alcohol than one person should consume in a week. Close-by, still sitting but no less drunk, was the elf and her personal, living seat. Even thought said seat was not as drunk, only intoxicated, as she hadn't participated in the contest.

"Andraste's tits, make the world stop spinnin' already..."

Adaar took the empty pint from Sera's limp hand and placed it on the table, shifting slightly to look at her lover in worry.

"I told you it's stupid. Are you going to be alright?"

"Bullssssssshit. You would say something like "This is most unwise" or some cultural nugdirt like that."

The taller woman chuckled softly and rose from her seat, gently pulling the elf along and carrying her in her arms bridal style. She swayed slightly for a moment as the booze messed up her motor abilities but caught herself quickly after, stepping over sprawled out bodies and various limbs as she tried to get the rogue into her room to get some well-deserved rest. The trip up the stairs proved more difficult than anticipated though as the drunk woman in her arms kept moving in her drunken sleep and Adaar gave a silent thanks as she _finally_ managed to enter the elf's room.

The tall woman fumbled around in the dark and was grateful for the lamps just outside the room that provided at least some sense of lighting as she placed the archer on her makeshift bed, smiling as she heard her sleeptalk about cakes and breakfast and well-fit women. The warrior grabbed a blanket, kissed her love on the forehead and was about to turn around when a hand grabbed her wrist.

"Did I wake you up?"

An unintelligible murmur followed before Adaar was able to make any sense of the words spoken by Sera.

"Y'owe me. Beat Bull, got a wish." A short pause in which the Vashoth thought that the elf had fallen asleep again, but the rest of the sentence followed soon after. "Come down here..."

She did as she was told and the words that reached her pointed ears surprised her enough that she caught herself staring at the in nearly complete darkness shrouded, bright red flushed face of the prankster. She had expected something more Sera-like, like a special night in her private chambers or maybe an order of Orlesian sweets but this?

"Tell me your name's meaning, yeah? Adaar's such a scary sounding name...Valkyrie sounds pretty. Are they pretty? The whatevers you're named after?"

The ruffling of sheets filled the air as Adaar joined her lover in bed, pulling her into her arms tightly as she closed her eyes, feeling the weight of sleep pulling at her mind.

"You never cease to amaze me, you know that?"

"Hm...'s why you love me, innit?"

The last candle inside the tavern was extinguished and the pair was now lying in complete darkness and the heavy breathing of the drunk elf sounded louder than before, signalizing that she was about to fall asleep again.

"That and much more. And yes, I will tell you about my namesake. When you are less bound to fall asleep on the spot or drool on me until I drown."

But the archer was already lost to dreamland and soon after, Adaar followed her: just like she always did.

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><p><strong>Edit<strong>: This story was inspired by a comic I saw on deviantart :)

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><p>Short little fluff-stuff. Hope it's not too bad^^<p>

**Phrase of the Day**

_When it's you I'm dreaming of, I don't wanna wake up_

"Don't wake me" by Skillet_  
><em>

**If you liked it, please** **REVIEW**.

No flaming please.


	3. Story III Part I - Hopscotch

**Stories from the Hold  
><strong>

**Story III Part I - Hopscotch**

by

_Silver-Eyed Rukia_

**Rated:** T

**Summary:** A compilation of small One-Shots based on the everyday lives of our favourite Skyhold residents.

**This One-Shot:** A seemingly harmless search-and-destroy job turn bad as the 4-man party runs into an unexpected ambush.

**Pairing:** Adaar x Sera

**Note:** This isn't beta-ed, so please ignore any mistakes. Or point them out and correct me, whatever you prefer.

* * *

><p>The seemingly never ending rain pouring down from the clouds above created a constant noise that did little to drown out the sounds of metal and leather walking up and down the stony mountainside of the Stormcoast. The group consisted of four persons: a dwarf with a crossbow, an elf with an ordinary bow, a short-haired woman with sword and shield and a tall, horned woman carrying a two-handed weapon.<p>

"Buttercup, mind taking smaller steps? Bianca's a littler heavier than your little toothpick even without my stubby little legs trying to keep up."

Cassandra and Adaar exchanged a look before slowing down a pace but the blonde rogue continued balancing on one of the rectangular shaped stone-constructs that were scattered all over the coast, hopping from one stone to the other in what seemed to be deep concentration. But anyone that knew Sera also knew that that wasn't the case. Because an unattentive thief is a dead thief. So she just spun around to face Varric while still dancing along the cliff.

"Can't blame me for chosing the smarter weapon, yeah? My aim's even better than yours even without the 20 pounds of fancy wood weighing me down."

The banter continued and the Inquisitor heard a barely audible sigh through the noise of the rain coming from her right and she raised an eyebrow at the woman beside her.

"It is like watching siblings fight over a toy or the affection of their mother, those two", the seeker said, eyes wandering from said pair to the Qunari next to her. "How come you have not yet intervened, Inquisitor?"

Adaar came to a halt and placed a hand on the warrior's shoulder, stopping her in her tracks while Varric and Sera continued walking, putting some distance between them. Their voices were soon lost to the thunder and rain raging on.

"Despite how they act, neither of them was ready for what happened at Haven. None of us were. It's still fresh in our minds and I am glad for every break we can grand our soldiers and friends. If we don't let them recover from the shock than we might face worse the next time something of the same magnitude happens. And then we won't make it out with just a few dead."

Cassandra's eyes narrowed at the memory but she just nodded and gave the hand on her shoulder a short squeeze before returning her attention to her other two companions who had nearly disappeared from sight. Their mission was to find and exterminate the Red Templars lingering in a cave on the west side of the Stormcoast along with the red lyrium shipments that they had received not too long ago.

It didn't take the two warriors long to catch up to the rest of their team and Sera, who was surprisingly still balancing backwards on the stones, waved at Adaar with a rogueish grin on her features. The Vashoth replied with a smile of her own and was about to raise her hand in a wave too when something just behind the elf caught her attention, and not a second too late.

Animalistic screams filled the air as the templars came out of their hiding spots behind the various trees, swords unsheathed and bows readied with arrows as they charged at the heavily outnumbered searching party. The seeker and the Qunari were still behind their long-range fighters and Adaar inwardly cursed at her own unawareness of her surroundings that had led them into this position. Cassandra was already closing the distance at incredible speed and arrived just in time to block a blow from an enemy sword that was meant to send Varric to his Ancestors.

The dwarf took the chance to roll to the side, readying Bianca in the motion and taking down the second templar trying to flank the warrior. The first one was cut down and fell to the ground like a wet sack, forgotten as the fight went on and even more templars emerged from the ambush site.

Sera had spun around upon hearing the first noises of fighting and had already taken down two enemy archers from her unstable and also very unsafe position along the cliff. She cursed as she readied another arrow, letting it pass by Cassandra's head by a few inches and successfully riding the tank of one of her two attackers.

"Shit shit shit", Sera whispered to herself as she realized that they were trying to corner her. She could take down one of them: the swordsman that was getting dangerously close or the marksman that had yet to ready his weapon. She grit her teeth and closed her eyes for a second before her arrow pierced both skin and flesh and the archer clawed at his throat, trying to breathe as his lungs filled with blood and he fell to the ground in a puddle of mud and water that soon turned a reddish colour.

The decay of the templar's body was a terrifying sight for Sera as she wasn't used to being so close to her enemy. Their faces were veiny and hollow, their eyes filled with a red glow, hungering for more power, for more lyrium. Their voices coated with insanity and their arms strenghted by their disillusioned beliefs. The sight froze the elf dead in her tracks and she begged her legs to move, her arms to rise but when the templar raised his sword to strike her down she remembered that she didn't _have_ to move. Because _she_ was watching her back.

"Buckles!"

The clattering of chain links was loud even amidst the fighting and the rain and the metallic thud that followed caught everyone's attention for a brief moment. The templar that had been about to strike Sera down was now lying in front of Adaar, his back crushed by the massive force of her weapon. The Inquisitor locked eyes with the elf for a second before finally charging into the fight herself, sheathing her weapon and summoning her dragon's might before clawing her way through the enemy ranks.

Both Varric and Cassandra were defending their left flank while Sera and Adaar covered the right, the warriors taking care of the melee fighters and the archers taking down the enemy long-range fighters. Despite being outnumbered four to one they managed to beat down the ambush without sustaining any fatal injuries and as Sera was about to strike down the last man standing, the inevitable happened: the rain had made the stones wet and slippery and as the elf moved to steady her stance for her final shot, something pierced her shoulder and she slid down the edge and lost her footing, falling down onto the stony slope below.

The yell and sudden disappearance of the archer distracted Adaar enough to lose focus of the templar but he didn't have time to celebrate his small victory as two bolts pierced his chests, making him crumble to the floor, dead before he even touched it. Varric grunted and placed Bianca on his back before joining the seeker that was already following the Qunari to where their rogue had been standing.

Adrenaline, both from the fight and from the shock, cursed through Adaar's veins as she sped down the slope, eyes never leaving the not-moving frame of Sera. She had never made a big deal out of her height but now she was glad being so tall as it made climbing up the cliff that the archer was on so much easier. When she finally reached the body her heartbeat stopped for a second only to come back full speed at the sight before her.

Blood was slowly but steadily gathering underneath Sera's frame, an arrow very obviously sticking out of her left shoulder. Her blonde hair was stained with dirt and blood from the fall and her ankle was twisted in an unhealthy angle. But what scared Adaar the most was the fact that she wasn't moving, wasn't talking. Nothing.

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><p><em>This is the first part of a Two-Shot<em>

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><p>I haven't had time to write anything lately and this feels kinda rushed...I hope it's not too bad. Hopefully I can finish the second part either this week or next weekend. Until then, see ya and thanks for reading and your support for my stories. It means a lot to me, really.<p>

**Phrase of the Day**

_But you told me, if you love me, let it die_

"Let it Die" by Starset_  
><em>

**If you liked it, please** **REVIEW**.

No flaming please.


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